usurped
Americanadjective
-
seized by force or without legal right.
When Edward IV deposed Henry VI, some saw it as a providential restoration of the usurped throne to the lawful heirs of Richard II.
-
deprived of something forcibly or without legal right.
The peasants and other members of the usurped communities have been forced to work as peons in the land that previously belonged to them.
-
used or employed without authority or right; used wrongfully.
Exploitation of usurped or counterfeited web content is punishable by criminal law.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of usurped
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hipsters war have now been usurped by a new stereotype: the tech bro.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
Gemini 2.5 Pro, released in March 2025, and Gemini 3.0 Pro, released in November 2025, enjoyed brief stints at the frontier until Anthropic’s Claude models usurped them, Schwarz said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
This year, the benchmark index has slumped 29% so far as worries about tariffs were usurped by the war in the Middle East and fiscal concerns deepened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Ultimately, society’s ingrained fear of missing out on making money will be usurped by the fear of losing money.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
And then chaos usurped with his animal junto.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
